Portable electric lighting device



April 10, 1945. G. R. FUSS 2,373,390 PORTABLE ELECTRIC LIGHTING DEVICE .Filed Feb. 5, 1944 v .INVENTOR. $06 64? BY. A

Patented' Apr. 10, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,373,390 RORTABLE ELECTRIC LIGHTING DEVICE George R. Fuss, Philadelphia, Pa. Application February 3, 1944, Serial N 0. 520,942

2 Claims.

The invention relates to portable electric lighting devices operated by dry cell batteries. It is particularly designed for use as a permanent part in ladies hand bags, travelling bags, physicians and surgeons medicine and tool cases, or the like, to illuminate the interior of small receptacles, and in addition to ailord utility as a search light for illuminating areas exteriorly of a portable receptacle upon which it is installed.

It is an important object to present a novel portable lighting device and light mounting specially adapted to use in a housing incorporated in a hand bag or the like.

It is an important aim also to present a portable lighting device construction for such use which is manually operated to open the circuit to the lamp illuminating the interior of the bag or other receptacle.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a novel construction of portable fighting device in which means are provided for eifectively holding the switch in its operative or energized position or in its inoperative position.

Additional objects, advantages and features of invention reside in the construction, arrangement and combination of parts involved in the embodiment of the invention, as will appear from the following description and accompanying drawing, wherein Figure 1 is a top view of an open hand bag in which my switch is incorporated.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view of the battery. lamp, and switch housing.

Figure 3 is a top view of the socket mounting block.

Figure 4 is a side elevation thereof.

Figure 5 is an end elevation thereof.

Figure 6 is a side elevation of the switch contactor.

Figure '7 is an end elevation thereof.

Figure 8 is a top plan view of the contractor.

Figure 9 is a detail of the switch contact.

Figure 10 is a detail side elevation of the main spring of the switch.

Figure 11 is a fragmentary plan view of a modifled iorm of detent slot for the contact block.

There is illustrated a hand bag Ill which may be of any usual material and in any desired shape, as to the bag portion proper. The bag has an opening therein defined by bail II and I2, secured in the usual manner and to and between the ends of the bail I2 there is a battery and lampcase i3.

The battery and lamp case I 3 is of cylindrical shape and of a length to fit snugly between the bail members I2. Intermediate the length of the case i3 there is an opening I4 suitably insulated by a bushing i5 and within the case there is mounted a switch block I6. The block ha a recess I! in registry with the opening I4 of the case and receives a lamp socket I8 for removably mounting a bulb I9. It will be noted that the bushing I5 is seated within the recess Il maintaining the block in proper position.

The block I6 has a central contact 20 adapted to form an electrical contact with the positive pole of a dry cell 2!, grounded to the case, and preferably two cells are employed, arranged in tandem fashion, as is well understood, the cell 2| being positioned in advance of a spring 22 interposed between the cell and the screw plug I3 of the case, and by this construction, the batteries 2| and 2! will be held in positive contact with the central contact 20. 1

The block I6 is formed with a recess 23 diametrically opposite to the recess I1 and a binding post 26' is extended through a suitable opening formed in the block i6, one end being positioned in the recess I? to form a contact with the base of the bulb and the other end of the post is threaded to receive a nut 27. The recess 23 is of a depth such as to house the nut and thus permit ready insertion of the block within the case 53.

A contact 28 is fixed to the end 29 of the block it and includes a wire 30 for connection with the binding post 26. A similar contact 3i is also mounted in the end 29 of the block and has a wire or other connection 32 extended through the block for electrical connection with the contact 20, as clearly shown in Figure 3.

The end 29 of the block is axially tapped, as at 25, and also has a small aperture 33 for reception of one end of a helical spring 3 3, as will be described hereinafter.

A rotary switch reference character generally indicated by the 35 is mounted in and grounded to the case i3, and includes a springpressed contact shoe 36 adapted to engage contacts 28 and 3| in one position of its movement. The contact shoe in the present instance, is of arcuate shape, as'may be seen in Figure 7, and the contacts 28 and 3i will be so positioned that a smooth wiping engagement may be had. As shown, the shoe 36 has a pair of pin 31, the ends of which are slidably engaged in apertures of the switch body, and preferably the body is recessed, forming a seat for one end of a helical spring 38, the other end of the spring bearing upon the shoe. The springs thus function to move the shoe outwardly away from the switch body intoengagement with the end 29 of the switch block and the contacts 28 and 3|, as the case may be.

The switch body is axially bored as at 39, terminating in an enlarged recess 40, at the end 4| thereoi. Within the base of the recess 40 an aperture 42 is formed, receiving the other end of the helical spring 34, and in order that switch 36 may be maintained in assembled relation upon the block IS a screw 43 is engaged through the bore 38 and threadedly engaged in the tapped opening 25.

The case l3 has a bayonet slot 44 through which a, pin 45 projects for the purpose of rotating the switch 35 into operative or inoperative position, the former position being shown in Figure 2. In the inoperative position the pin 45 would occupy the recessed portion 48 of the slot, and obviously, when the switch is moved to such position the spring 34 is tensioned and the shoe 38 moved from contacting engagement with contacts 28 and 3|. As soon as the pin 45 is moved out oi the recess 44, the spring immediately rotates the block ,to again bring the shoe and contacts into operative position for energization of the bulb l9.

For the purpose of exterior lumination of the bag iii, the case It is open-ended at the end 48. The case houses a bulb 49, and a switch 80 is mounted upon the exterior of the casing, for controlling energization of the bulb. This structure is fully disclosed in my Patent No. 2,187,308, and since it iorms no art of the present invention, a detailed description thereof is not essential.

In Figure 11 I have illustrated a modified form of the bayonet slot 44'. In this instance, the slot extends longitudinally of the case l3 and would require that the switch 35 move longitudinally of the case.

While I have shown and described a preferred construction, this is by way of illustration only, and I consider as my own all such modifications in structure as fairly fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1 within the case,

asvasao 1. A portable lighting device of the character described comprising a intermediate its length, a switch block within the case and having an opening in registry with the opening in the case, a bushing in the registered openings for maintaining the switch block within the case, a lamp socket mounted in the opening of the switch block, a battery in the case and grounded thereto, a rotary switch within the case and grounded thereto, a contact on the switch block in positive engagement with the battery, a contact on the other end of the switch block and electrically connected to the first named contact, a second contact on said end electrically connected to the lamp socket, said switch being rotatabiy mounted to said switch block and having a spring-pressed contact shoe for engagement with said last two named contacts, a helical spring connected between the rotary switch and switch block to rotate the switch to operative position, said casing having a bayonet slot, and an operating pin fixed in the rotary switch and projected through the slot.

2. A portable lighting device of the character described comprising a case having an opening intermediate its length, a switch block within the case and having an opening in registry with the opening in the case, a bushing in the registered openings for maintaining the switch block a lamp socket mounted in the opening of the switch block, a battery in the case and grounded thereto, a rotary switch within the case and grounded thereto, a contact on the switch block in positive engagement with the battery, a pair of contacts on the switch block electrically connected to the first named contact and lamp socket respectively, contacts on the rotary switch .cooperable with the pair of contacts to complete the circuit to the battery in one position of the switch, spring means to hold the rotary switch in operative position and said case comprising means cooperable with the switch for maintaining the switch in a releasable inoperative position.

GEORGE R. W SS.

case having an opening 

